Charlene's Circle of Support Fundraiser

"Grandparents are raising their grandchildren on Social Security checks. Aunts are turning spare rooms into bedrooms overnight. They get no training, no monthly checks, no support, just kids who need them."

When a parent can't care for their children—because of addiction, illness, incarceration, or death—someone in the family usually steps in. A grandmother, an aunt, an uncle, an older sibling, or a godparent. They become kinship caregivers, often with little notice and less support.

While foster parents receive training, monthly payments, and case management, kinship caregivers typically get none of that. They're raising children on fixed incomes or stretched budgets, navigating school systems and trauma they weren't prepared for, and doing it because walking away isn't an option when it's your family.

These children stay connected to their roots, their culture, and their siblings, and research shows they do better because of it. But the caregivers are exhausted, financially strained, and invisible to most support systems.

Your donation helps us provide what kinship families actually need: emergency supplies when kids arrive with nothing, help when budgets break, support groups where caregivers can breathe, and someone who sees them. At Charlene's Circle of Support, we believe children shouldn't be defined by their parents' struggles, and the family members raising them shouldn't have to do it alone.

 
Your gift says their sacrifice matters and ensures that when love shows up, support does too.